Hacking Photography - one Picture at a time
Grinding an editor’s gears is easy, most cinematographers can do it blindfolded. If you shoot video – for any reason at all – and you’re not an accomplished editor – you’re undoubtedly indulging in at least one of the Six Sins of the Cinematographer.
If you want to master video production — and become every editor’s favorite shooter — here’s how to avoid the Six Sins:
My name is Andrea Belluso and I used to define myself as a fashion and beauty photographer.
To be great at lighting in photography is much e¬asier than you might think. I see most photographers making things way too complicated and spending way too much time thinking through their lighting and trying to achieve the perfect picture.
All this eventually leads to frustration, irritated clients, and eventually considering photography a job like any other. In order for you to maintain fun and pleasure in your photography and being as excited with every single picture you take as you were when you took your first picture, it is vital to have the element of freedom and adventure with every single shot.
So, how do you do that? Simple, it’s all in your approach to lighting.
Lighting is not a technical thing, it is a way of creating feelings, emotions, and moods. The technique and technical equipment are just there to help us. Just like brushes and paint are not what creates how a painting makes you feel, they are simply tools that used in one way or another will change your mood once you look at the painting.
So here are 6 tips on getting better at lighting and having more fun and ease with it.
Introduction
This guide will be a walkthrough on the basics of Milky Way photography. It is best for beginners, but even intermediate and expert photographers might find something new! Plus, I always find it never hurts to refresh yourself on the basics.
Before we get to the good stuff, I’d like to start by saying that I hope you find this guide to be a bit different from the rest. I have found that most guides go on way too long and provide more detail than you could possibly need. This doesn’t sound like a bad thing, but it creates a problem. With that much information available, it tends to be overwhelming and hard to retain what you learn. By the time you’ve read through the countless pages, you’ve forgotten where you started!
B-roll can add value and interest to your videos and make them more dynamic. And sometimes, you’ll need to soot your B-roll content as a one-man-band, being both the subject and the person behind the camera. In this video, Matti Haapoja gives you eight great tips for nailing the shots even when you do everything on your own.
When photographing portraits in a studio, you can create many different looks using only one light. Depending on how you place it and how big it is, a softbox can significantly change the look and mood of your photos. In this video, Jay P Morgan discusses different factors of softbox placement. And when you learn how they affect your portraits, you’ll know exactly how to achieve the look you want.
Oftentimes, it’s only a small trick and a discreet detail that can make a significant difference to a photo. Food photographer Joanie Simon of The Bite Shot has two lighting tricks that will add a new dimension to your food images. They are simple to pull off, yet they’re effective and can really make a difference. Check them out in the video below.
When photographing toys, there are so many tricks that can make your scenes look lifelike and realistic. To add an extra kick to certain scenes, you might need to create mini-explosions, all of which can all be done with practical effects. In this video, Norm from Adam Savage’s Tested hosts toy photographer Johnny Wu. He guides you through his process for creating blast effects in his toy photography and shares some handy tips and tricks that you can use in your work.
We were all beginners once, and it was only after a few years’ experience that we noticed some mistakes we made back then. This is why the older and experienced version of Matthew Vandeputte created this video for his younger self, a beginner in timelapse photography. These ten tips come from years of experience, and if you are new to timelapse photography, this video is for you.
No matter if you’re a wedding photographer or videographer, you can use a drone to create some unforgettable shots of the bride and groom. Alina and Stewart of Drone Film Guide share with you 12 helpful tips that will raise your drone wedding photos and videos to a new level and help you make the best out of them.
Lighting glossy metal objects can be really tricky when you incorporate them in photos. They don’t only reflect light in a pretty harsh way, but they also reflect the scene. In this video, Jay P. Morgan teaches you how to light shiny metal objects so you make them look their best in your shots. He guides you through his setup and gives an example of lighting a BB gun in a studio.
You can find out more about John on his website and follow his adventures on YouTube and Facebook.
can change a lens mid-rappel, swap a memory card while treading water, or use a camel as a light stand.
To see more of his work please visit his studio website blurMEDIAphotography, or follow him on Twitter, 500px, Google Plus or YouTube.
JP’s photography is available for licensing at Stocksy United.
Find my work on My website or follow me on Facebook or My page
